Examining Science, Technology and Culture in the 21st Century

COVID Apps and Pandemic Drones

The Australian Government launched its new COVIDSafe app this week, encouraging the public to download it as soon as possible to enable accurate and efficient contact tracing for the coronavirus, likening it to putting on sunscreen when going to the beach on a sunny day. Millions of Australians have downloaded the app, while many others have expressed concerns around privacy and the issues of Government tracking citizens. Steve and Ben examine the new app and the discussion it has generated, as well as other pandemic technology such as drones being used to check temperatures of vast groups of people in public spaces. They also discuss the issue of consumer wastage in the coronavirus era following the wave of panic buying in recent months, and Ben discusses his experiences using LumaFusion on the iPad Pro to edit a SciTech Culture episode.